


One Third

by Senket



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2007-07-22
Updated: 2007-07-22
Packaged: 2017-11-12 08:18:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/488688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senket/pseuds/Senket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Reno ever wanted was to be part of Tseng and Rufus's little affair. It didn't mean he wanted them to take over his apartment while he was sulking about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Reno thought sometimes, believe it or not.

Sometimes- a bit more often than he should- he thought about his bosses, Rufus and Tseng.

The three of them were like three corners of the personality triangle.

He was loud, while Rufus and Tseng were quiet.

Tseng was direct, while Reno rambled and Rufus spiraled.

Rufus was manipulative, while Tseng and Reno where fairly open about their intentions.

The list went on even to the most obscure, irrelevant things, like his love for gross amounts of ketchup, while the more sophisticated men preferred the tangy, infinitesimally light alcoholic taste of Dijon mustard.

Like the dark exotic qualities of Tseng's eyes compared to their own bright orbs.

The way Rufus preferred white to their black.

The way he strayed on irrelevant notions while they did not. For example: was it wrong for him to be so madly, desperately in love with two people at once?

\-------------------------

Reno had spent far too long moping about his stubborn desire for the pair- _far_ too long. He'd sunk into a hazy stupor, reminding himself over and over that the norm was to be straight, and while he was bisexual himself that was hardly a reason to assume anyone else in the office was. Elena liked Tseng, after all, and Rude liked Tifa.

Frankly, he was sure everything would be so much easier for everyone if the world was just damn bi, because he wouldn't have to spend hours day in and day out reminding himself there was no reason to believe he had a chance with either of them.

He felt silly even contemplating the idea that such direct, (somewhat) normal people (for their occupation, anyway) might be interested in a fool like him. It didn't make anything feel better, though.

When he, in passing, heard Crimson gossip about how she had heard Tseng had first joined the Turks after he'd lost everything- what with his longtime boyfriend dying in a house fire- Reno felt his heart stop. Slowly the exhilarated feeling of hope built in his throat, and he felt dizzy. He had a change with Tseng. He had a damn _chance_! It was tiny, but it was there!

He laughed, euphoric, practically dancing his way down the hall.

This was going to look really silly, he knew. Rufus needed to be guarded at all times because there was a way of shooting him through the windows of his office if you were _really_ desperate. Therefore the leader of the Turks shared the man's huge office- there was plenty of room for both of them, anyway, and anything involving the one generally involved the other, so why not? But professing to the one you loved while the _other_ one you loved watched was hardly normal.

Not that the other two would be acquainted with that fact, anyway. So he let himself in in typical Reno fashion: loudly.

"Sorry to interrupt anything, yo!" He beamed as he entered, faltered for a split second and caught himself quickly, keeping his grin steady and his stance clear of signs of distress, eyes focused on the office's residents.

The office's residents whom, it seemed, actually _had_ been interrupted after all.

Tseng was standing just behind Rufus's chair, hand curling around either side of the plush leather backing. Rufus was sitting with a slight curve in his spine, fingers tangled in Tseng's long, dark hair. His head was arched back, and Tseng's head was bent down towards him. They'd obviously been just about to kiss.

Now they were both regarding him, exasperated, as they resumed more professional positions, Tseng moving to the side of the desk.

"Um, I was just wondering if… you know… I-well, I _really_ … Can I go home now? There's only paperwork, and I _swear_ I'll do it tomorrow, and I just had a _really_ bad day. I just need to get the hell out of here like- now? Please?"

They both watched him in cold scrutiny and he felt his insides practically collapsing- he was hardly the type to cry but right now he felt like a heartbroken little girl.

" _Please_?" he asked again, practically croaking. The silence stretched.

"Your day couldn't have possibly been that bad, Reno."

His fists were clenched and shaking, head bowed. _'Oh yeah?_ ' he wanted to say. ' _Have you ever been madly in love and then had your heart broken? No? Of course you haven't. You have, though, right Tseng? Now, imagine you love two people. Right? And you get your heart broken by both-_ _ **at the same damn time.**_ _So, you two want to run that bullshit by me again, yo?_ ' That hardly would've been conducive to the situation, he thought.

"You've got no fucking idea," he answered instead, throat tight and painful.

He watched them exchange a look, watched the silent message pass _seamlessly_ between them, and recognized the signs. He didn't get that kind of communication with Rude, for god's sake, and he was practically the only person he ever talked to. That told him one thing- any hope of even the least bit of affection from either of them was washed down the drain and through the sewers to be drowned at the bottom of the frozen sea.

He let his eyes close with a shudder, arms hanging limply at his sides.

He felt someone pull him in and shut the door in a one motion, frowning as Tseng steered him to the chair across from Rufus and pushed him into it, hands lingering on his shoulders a moment too long before he stood back at the desk's edge, one hand on the surface as he leaned to watch Reno's expression carefully.

Rufus sank back, cocking his head. "Then explain."


	2. Chapter 2

Explain? Fucking _explain?_ How was he supposed to explain! After walking in on _that_ they wanted him to fucking explain why his day sucked so damn _hard_? His chin feel against his chest and he shuddered weakly, fingers digging into his flesh as they curled around his arms.

He was not going to cry. He was _not_ going to _damn_ cry and- too late. His body could just go to hell for all it did for him.

His voice was slightly sticky as he started talking, a telltale sign of his body's reaction, one he hardly needed to be reminded of. His eyes and cheeks were burning, and the sensation simply angered him. "Do I really have to explain, sir?" he asked slowly, muscles wound like a piano's cords.

"You have to explain," Rufus confirmed firmly, pretty mouth in a straight line. Reno almost laughed at the dangerous thought, but knew that if he had, he would have started sobbing.

"It's been a damn bad day. And when I thought it was looking up, it crasheedthrough the ground and straight to the center of the earth. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Can I go now?"

That damn _look_ passed between them and he could practically feel his day rotting in the lifestream. "No."

His teeth clenched and he sat there for a few seconds, too wired to think. He stood up suddenly, knocking the chair over, slamming his hands down on the expansive desk before him. "I don't want to fucking talk about it! Okay? Why don't you just leave me alone to suffer in fucking _peace,_ asshole? _With all due respect, sir._ "

Tseng was suddenly beside him. He righted the chair before shoving Reno down into it, turning it so that it faced him. His hands were on either armrest, locking the poor redhead in. There was something so _cold_ in his eyes, and Reno felt his anger fade away as his head sunk back down, messy bangs sticking to his wet face. He'd disappointed Tseng, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"These bad days of yours are not an uncommon occurrence, Reno." Aquamarine flickered up to the sharp, exotic features of the Wutaian face, confusion and weariness settling into their depths. He was somewhat disappointed in the failings of his poker face, to be frank. "And don't be so shocked we noticed," he added sharply, deepening Reno's frown. Since when did the man understand him so fully?

That bit of information would have made him feel better a few minutes ago.

…A bit before he'd damn had to see them so fucking perfectly together…

Tseng hit his shoulder lightly and Reno looked back at him again, feeling tired and weak.

"Obviously there's a continuing issue causing turbulence in your life," Rufus slid in, tone a sort of twisted honey. "Hardly conducive to your job, as it were. I would hate to die for it." Tseng, annoyed and faintly angry at the insensitive words, glanced at the blonde sharply and Rufus rolled his eyes at his lover's expression. Reno would have tried slipping away while his captor was distracted, but he couldn't move right now.

His breathing was shallow, limbs heavy, and he just didn't want to think anymore.

Tseng straightened out, pursing his lips, and slid his fingers across the top of his head, righting some loose strands. "Reno…"

"You're hurting me," he answered softly, hands limp in his lap.

He didn't look startled- Tseng never look startled. Neither did Rufus. That was one of the 'Reno versus Tseng and Rufus' points.

Rufus never fidgeted with his hair. That was one of the 'Rufus versus Reno and Tseng' points.

Tseng never took no for an answer. _That_ was something they all had in common. "I'm not even _touching_ you," he hissed, almond eyes narrowing at the redhead.

Reno lifted his lips in a defensive snarl. He felt backed into a corner, and the only way to get away was to lash out- every animal knew that somewhere deep inside. His fingers were white around the armrests, muscles quivering under the strain. Rufus wondered for a split second if the Turk would break his chair. His head snapped up and he was glaring at Tseng with a new fire. "I _said_ you're fucking hurting me!"

"Don't scream at me," his boss answered coolly, apparently complete unfazed and apathetic. That complete lack of feeling was what made Reno feel truly cold. Tseng and Rufus shared so much and he got… he got… _this._

He was up and off in a heartbeat, practically tearing the door open. He didn't wait for the elevator, skidding down the emergency stairs at a neck-breaking speed.

Tseng and Rufus were still watching long after he had disappeared.

\---------------------------

If there was one thing Reno didn't want to do right now, it was admit the world was any bigger than his bedroom.

The air was stale, the blinds closed tightly. The only signs that it was still midday were the strips of light across his floor from where the blind couldn't quite shut it out. The red haired Turk was bundled tightly in the covers, breathing heavily. He had to, since the air beneath his thick comforter was hot and stifled.

If there was one thing Reno didn't like, it was the creak of his door as it was opened slowly. He purposefully let those hinges rust so that he, a light sleeper, would wake if anyone tried to assassinate him.

Or try to talk to him, which, as far as he was aware at this point, was just as fucking bad.

He sat up, red-rimmed eyes glaring at his partner. Rude raised an eyebrow at him, settling in the corner of the room with his hands clasped before him.

"Stop looking like a damn bodyguard all the time," Reno grumbled, glancing away, to which Rude smirked before he went straight to the point.

"What happened in that office?"

He threw his hand up in frustration, falling back against his mattress. "Why the fuck is it that I can never tell when anyone's having problems, but when I have some _everyone_ notices?"

"You're not detail oriented?"

Reno pushed up on his elbows gave the bald man a pointed look and Rude smiled faintly. He stepped forward, seating himself on the bed and staring fixedly at the covered window. Reno sighed and sat up, swinging his feet over the mattress, settling down with his back to his partner. He scratched his head, yawning listlessly.

"Reno."

"Just nothing I needed to see, yo."

"You make it sound as though they were screwing on the floor," the wider, stronger turn murmured, voice gravelly and faintly amused.

"I may as well have," he answered with a quiet moan, and it told Rude everything he needed to know.

"I was _wondering_ who you were mooning over. Which is it?"

Reno glanced at him sharply out of the corner of his eye before he sunk against the man's strong back, heaving a sigh.

"Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?" he grumbled childishly, vexed.

"Both of them. That really sucks."

He would've been amused as to how Rude seemed to have picked up his language, but was busy being frustrated by the situation.

" _Yeah_. Of course it sucks, yo!"

Reno grunted and stood, patting the boy's shoulder before showing himself out. "I'll tell them your sick, but don't expect them to believe me."

"As though they would," he answered with a moan, shaking his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Rufus drummed his fingers against the desk in a quick, sharp staccato. His gaze meandered away from its subject and locked on a pair of dark eyes, which stared back with a skeptical expression.

Both pairs of eyes returned to the nervous Turk, though that particular emotion was well-concealed. "'Sick'?"

Rude coughed into his fist and nodded.

"I see," the President told him. The interrogatee wasn't stupid enough to think he was being believed- he hardly needed the unimpressed gaze and raised eyebrow to tell him that.

"Tell me what's going on with your partner, Rude."

The trio watched each other in silence, Tseng leaning forward across his own desk in the corner every so slightly. A long, tense silence stretched between them before he answered. It was slow but steady, and if anything was clear it was that he would not fudge the issue. "No."

"That's an order."

"No."

"Rude, I can fire you _right now_."

"You need me," he answered stoically. "And I would never betray Reno. There's more at stake here than you're considering."

Rufus leaned back in his seat, watching Rude carefully, trying to detect any hint to this new riddle they had been presented with.

"This issue is between him and you." His 'you' was indistinct, but it could be that way. Where Rufus was included, so was Tseng. "I refuse involvement. Sir."

He bowed, righted his glasses, and left.

"This is getting annoying," Rufus remarked with a grunt, eyes fixed on the closed door. Tseng merely sighed and returned to his paperwork.

\-------------------------------

"Get out of bed."

Reno stayed very, very still, open eyes staring at the inside of his blanket.

"I know as well as you that you are awake."

He gritted his teeth and threw off his covered, rolling over to stare pointedly at his dark-eyed boss. "I think you're wrong- I'm asleep and having a nightmare." He rolled his eyes and turned onto his back, sinking sulkily into his pillow. "Can't I just have one day in peace?"

There was a long, thick silence and Reno was half-asleep again. He could hardly hope to actually fall asleep though, knowing Tseng was just behind him. He was hardly stupid enough to think the man had left, though he didn't quite know what he was waiting for. Reno wasn't about to ask.

He figured it out a few minutes later when he heard the clipped steps that could only belong to the Shinra president.

"Your apartment is a complete dump," the blonde man informed him graciously, glancing about.

Reno groaned weakly, pulling his pillow over his head.

"Remind me to give you some rum or something," the man continued, gingerly placing some beers on the bedside table. "Whatever you like."

"I _like_ my _beer_ ," he answered hotly, pulling the pillow down just far enough for the intruders to catch his glare.

"Suit yourself."

He sat up slowly, gaze focused on anything that wasn't _them_. "You won't be leaving."

"No."

"Why not?" He sounded like a petulant child- he could hardly be blamed for it.

"You're a mess. If you take it off your shoulders, you'll do your job better."

'Always about the fucking job,' he thought bitterly, violently opening his beer and taking a dry swallow, whipping his mouth. It was cheap, too, not even really good. "I'll be fine _tomorrow_."

"No." Tseng's voice was sure and unwavering- direct. "You won't."

"You've been like this for weeks," Rufus injected gently.

"Then why wait till now, yo?"

"We didn't want to involve ourselves."

Reno felt hurt. As though it wasn't bad enough already… He sneered and turned away, nails biting into his wrist.

As such he completely missed the reproaching look directed towards the Wutaian man, Tseng looking vaguely ashamed of himself for wording it so.

"In the interest of your own well-being, functioning on the assumption that you wanted your privacy, that is," Rufus clarified, still glowering faintly at his lover.

"I _do_ want my privacy, so kindly _go away_. Sir."

"Too late," the blonde snapped, eyes fixed on Reno's hair.

It was really distracting, as it were. Not because of its bright color but because of its- ahem- _unique_ style. It was like an odd mix between long hair, short hair, a rattail and a mullet. He wondered briefly (though not for the first time) how much effort it would take into convincing Reno to cut it all at the same length and let it grow out uniformly. Then again, his hair was a pretty good representation of his completely inability to make any lick of sense.

He reprimanded himself for being so easily distracted by Reno when he was supposed to be helping him (in his own special way), and noticed at that point that the redhead was shivering faintly. His eyes were clenched closed, teeth grinding. He was chanting inwardly to himself, trying to convince himself that they weren't really here and he was just having a really weird dream.

"We're staying here until you talk, Reno," the blonde finally warned, eyes narrowed at him, "if it takes weeks."

Considering his day? It would definitely take weeks. Months, maybe. Damn it all.

\-------------------------------

If anything could be said certainly about his character, it was that Rufus just naturally owned things. In truth, Reno had always found that possessive quality in the blonde president endearing. He had, however, suddenly discovered just how annoying that trait could become when it was his own apartment that found itself being subjugated into the man's personal empire within a week of the unceremonious 'moving in'. Luckily, he had an extra room- set up for Rude, to be truthful- and even if the thought of Tseng and Rufus sharing the twin made him sick, at least he didn't have to see it.

He looked at the blonde sullenly over the top of his refrigerator door. It was now filled with all sort of things he would never normally eat- fresh berries, crunchy vegetables, aromatic cheeses, marmalade, freshly-sliced lunch meats… his beer was gone, his ground beef was gone- for god's sake, his Jell-O had been removed in favor of strawberry mousse. Rufus glanced at him from the white-leather armchair, slipping a yogurt-dipped raspberry into his mouth, before returning his gaze to the white and pink marble chessboard he'd had Elena fetch for him so that Tseng and he could play.

Even his chocolate stash had vanished- not that he'd had much left, considering the stress he was under. He might have finished it last night, actually… all he could remember was an incredible headache. He couldn't get more because the men more or less refused to let him leave the place. He grumbled to himself, pulling out the last bag of chips from the pantry. (A pantry full of herbs he didn't recognize and stringy pastas apparently _not_ named spaghetti after all, though he couldn't really tell the difference. Apparently Rufus could, rich bastard.) He plopped down on the couch, groping for the remote control on the glass table.

Okay, the remote was gone.

He gritted his teeth, plodding his way over to the television with heavy steps to turn it on. He didn't manage to make it back to the couch before the screen turned off again. He found the remote though- in Rufus's hand. Bastard wasn't even looking away from the damn chess board.

He fought the urge to break something, hurling the bag to the ground- chips scattered across the hardwood. "Stop!" he screamed at the blonde. "Stop _fucking_ with me, yo! I can't _stand_ it anymore!" His fingers were tense around his skull, curling in his hair. He spun in lazy, dazed circles, growling in frustration. "Enough, already! You're driving me crazy, both of you! Fucking _crazy_! As though it wasn't bad enough _before-_ just shove me off a cliff, why don't you?" He slammed his fist into the table- it shook but thankfully did not crack. "And you've just gotta fucking flaunt your prefect happiness at me, don't cha? Never fucking mind, yo, I'll just _jump_ off the fucking cliff _for_ you!" He bared his teeth and darted away into his room, slamming the door.

Two pairs of eyes followed closely, Tseng hesitantly turning back to look at the board after a few tense seconds, slowly pushing a raspberry into his mouth. "Maybe we should-"

Rufus cut him off with the clink of a moving knight. "If we don't find out now, we never will. Besides, that sounded suspicious to me."

The Wutaian man inclined his shoulder. He looked uncomfortable, perhaps guilty.

"It's our fault somehow," the blonde continued, ignoring the sharp look given to him by Tseng. "If anything, he just proved that. And I'm going to fix it. We both know I'd rather you help."

He did not reply, merely putting the entire incident in a place in his mind where he could review it later, when everyone else was asleep. He rather doubted he'd be able to follow them into the land of dreams, especially not tonight.

\--------------------------------

Reno cradled the bottle between arms, gazing appreciatively at his partner. "I will forever be thankful for this, buddy." He held the beer up in the air before taking a long swallow.

"I had a feeling," Rude answered in his gravely voice, smiling very faintly. "So… two weeks."

"Yeah," he groaned, dropping his head against his knee. They were both sitting against the edge of the bed, the large mattress hiding them from sight from anyone that might open the door. "I'm going crazy. It's not just that they're always around, but I can't _do_ anything. The jackass doesn't even let me watch TV half the time. What am I supposed to do, read? Yeah right. It's not like I can train, either."

"Elena and I are trying to convince them to take you out on missions every so often."

"Lotta good that'll do," he grumbled, although he sounded faintly relieved. "I suppose the boss'll come with me on all of them, yo."

"One is better than two," he answered smoothly, and Reno glanced at him.

"Never thought I'd here you say that, aibou."

"Circumstances."

Reno grinned and patted the man's shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

His heels tapped and clicked against the metal frame of the too-small cot, gaze shifting between his cold electromag rod and the dusky neck that belonged to his boss. The man was bent over who-knew-what, the thing in his fingers firmly away from his line of sight. Reno sneered to himself and turned back to his weapon, methodically shining its surface.

He looked back quickly when Tseng turned around, but there was nothing unusual about his appearance at all. What the hell had he been looking at, his nails? He growled under his breath and repressed a wince, body screaming at him to stop moving so much.

There was something very strange about going on a mission with anyone but Rude, especially with the inexhaustible tension between him and the man that had helped invade his home. He knew Rufus had made a strong point contesting Reno being out of sight of either of them- if he could be apart from them then he could release his frustrations and therefore the problem would not be shared nor removed. He still didn't like it. Didn't they realize they were making things worse?

Reno watched surreptitiously as Tseng removed his jacket, shoes and socks, loosening his tie. The first three buttons of his shirt were opened and he stretched back on the bed, folding one arm behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, feet crossed at the ankles. Dark hair, though still brushed back in a low ponytail, splayed across the pillow; he brushed some aside with long, white fingers, slipping his cell out of his pocket. He pressed the first speed-dial without tearing his gaze away from the pattern of bumps on the ceiling, exotically-shaped eyes finally flickering closed as he drawled into the speaker. "Just talk."

Head rolled to the side, Reno watched the man with greedy openness- bright green flickered over a sharp cheekbone and a strong jaw, the man's straight nose (with just the faintest upward curve at the end), even the pulse point in his wrist, barely exposed by an unbuttoned cuff. He held his breath as Tseng talked to someone who could only be Rufus, shutting his eyes with the finality of surrender when he saw the faint but definite smile that curved the man's thin lips as he listened to the blonde's voice.

\--------

It had been a week since their last mission and a good month and a half since his place had been overrun. A fucking _month and a half_. He was going completely stir-crazy; it was completely impossible to sleep. The covers were too hot, the moon too stark through the naked window and the red numbers of his alarm clock were burning into his retina. Silence pressed all around him, a faint buzzing caused as his ear strained towards the room on the other side of the wall. He couldn't get Tseng's smile out of his head- nor the fact that it had never been intended for him. He'd never really thought he had the barest shot for Rufus, but Tseng had been almost there. It had been slim, but there had been a chance; not anymore. He was completely taken in by Rufus. _Completely_.

"This is completely useless," he muttered sullenly, almost wincing at the startling loudness of his voice compared to the emptiness a moment ago. He sat still, afraid of the sudden change he had caused before shaking the feeling off. He threw the tangled covers to the floor and slid out of bed, padding towards the kitchen. He gritted his teeth as he moved quietly, feeling as though the slightest noise more would wake on or both of the men in the other room.

He settled down with a bowl of dulce de leche (his rocky road seemed to have conveniently vanished) and a glass of water (Scarlet and Reeve wouldn't believe it; probably not even Elena.) He stared vaguely into the air as he ate, though the frequency of his bites left him more drinking the odd caramel-cream residue more than eating ice cream, and wondered what he'd ever done for his life to turn upside down like this.

He sat still for quite a while, glancing at the oven time ever so often. At the latter end of the 2 o'clock range, he was joined by a faintly haggard-looking Wutaian. Aquamarine watched the handsome man with a sort of hazy, detached interest, Reno making no move to greet him nor ask and yet wondering repeatedly why he would be awake, and even then, why would he leave Rufus and his sanctuary?

"I can't sleep as well as Rufus," the man told him without being asked, setting a kettle to boil. A thin red brow went up and Tseng glanced back once before finding the necessary ingredients for a calming tea. "Stress-tied insomnia," he clarified quietly.

The hazy edges of Reno's late-night world were thrown into relief and his eyes narrowed dramatically. Jaw working almost angrily, he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest defensively. "So sorry I'm stressing you out," he gritted out, highly insulted, as he had a right to be.

"I'm worried about you," he told the scrawny man gently, almond eyes fixed on the counter as he waited for the water to boil.

"Because you're afraid I'll get President Shinra killed?" he sneered, head jerking to the side. Tseng shifted to face him, leaning against the counter to hold gazes with Reno. He was not impressed, and yet nothing in his stance and expression showed anger nor resentment.

"I'm afraid you'll get yourself killed." His voice was not elevated, and yet was just as painful for Reno to here, the words cutting through him. He sunk in his seat, shoulders slumping as his arms hung limp beside him. He felt dumbfounded and cheated. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _fair_ that Tseng could care, but just not quite enough. It wasn't fair that Rufus had gotten there first and it wasn't fair that day and night (though perhaps not all night if this said anything of their typical behavior) they could be- and were- together. It wasn't fair that (one of) the object(s) of his dreams was standing in front of him in the middle of the night/obscenely early morning, telling him that he was important when he knew he wasn't nearly as important as he wanted to be. It just wasn't _fucking_ fair! "Don't say that," he muttered quietly, wishing that he had been able to control the pathetic, pained edge of his voice a little better.

"Reno?" The man frowned, stepping closer. The redhead watched a long, pale hand brush the surface of the table lightly as he moved forward.

"Don't talk to me like I matter," he continued with a firmer tone, though he disliked how it sounded still

Fingers brushed against the smaller man's shoulder and he winced instinctively, trying to withdraw. "But Reno-"

He jerked away, stumbling out of his chair, using it as a sort of safety bar between them. "I said-"

" _Reno_."

He slammed his hands down on the table, effectively cutting off the man's words. The room was dreadfully silent as they stared at each other, black locked on aquamarine. Something cracked in Reno and he shot forwards, clinging to Tseng's shoulders as he kissed him with heartbroken abandon. After the split second it took him to return to his senses he stumbled back, darting away into his room. He slammed the door and fell against it, sinking against the wood, aware that he had probably just make the worst mistake of his life- and he'd made plenty.

Tseng watched after him thoughtfully, touching his lips lightly. His concentration was broken by the sputtering of the kettle and he withdrew it just before it could gain the strength to whistle with a quiet smile. This night would require a different tea.

\----------------------

By morning, something indefinite had changed. An intangible feeling floated between Reno and Tseng; the redhead had been nervous at first- certainly understandable, considering how clearly spoken for Tseng had already been. He left his room cautiously, finding them in their usual position. Rufus sat in a white leather chair, bent over some paperwork. Tseng sat on the left armrest, his arm stretched across the back of the chair; he watched, occasionally injecting his opinions.

He sighed and tugged nervously on his messy shirt as he passed them, moving to the fridge with steps a might quicker than they should have been. The types of food inside annoyed him so he opened the freezer- and paused, thunderstruck. A bright yellow box of chocolate chip waffles was hidden there amongst frozen vegetables and ready-to-fry dumplings, a small note attached instructing him to 'eat it quick or hide it before Rufus takes it away'. He shuffled his feet, glancing at Tseng; he was looking back with a note of childish curiosity hidden beneath adult benevolence. The redhead pulled four out at once with a dashingly gleeful grin, wandering over and plunking them in the large toaster in an odd sort of waltz. He glanced back at the older man- dark, angled eyes were fixed on the paperwork once again, but there was something decisively warmer about Tseng's expression.

Reno sat on the marble island in the middle of the kitchen for a while, working absent-mindedly on the crosswords he'd taken to stealing from Rufus's newspaper. About half the words later Tseng passed to drop an empty cup off into the sink, mixing a small bowl of yogurt, granola and nuts for his lover. A hazy half-thought later he fixed a second, added small marshmallows and placed it beside Reno with a clink. Quizzical aqua shut up to meet amused black and Reno noticed the building of an affectionate patience in Tseng's eyes he could not remember ever having seen. "Just try." He wrinkled his nose suspiciously but grinned brightly a heartbeat more, holding his hand out childishly for a spoon. Tseng slid a silver one into the man's nimble fingers, ruffling his hair as he moved back to Rufus.

Reno wondered for two steps if Tseng was trying to get him to try Rufus's food for ulterior motives. Seconds later he realize that had been completely silly; there was certainly an ulterior motive, he simply wasn't sure which one Tseng was operating with. Was he trying to make him eat healthier for his own livelihood? So he would be more fit for his job? But Tseng had also gotten him silly, childish breakfast foods, obviously after he had ran off to his room the previous night. _Maybe_ he was trying to get him used to Rufus's food so the three could-

No, the chances that Rufus, _along with_ Tseng, accepting such a type of affair were minimal.

Somehow, though, he couldn't help but hope for the best.


End file.
